It has become a tedious job for everyone to keep up with the trends, the new skills, new technologies and so much more happening in the Industry.
So is there a necessity to complete a certification?
I agree that only certification is of no use.
Only certification will make you feel the worst embarrassments of life, You will not be able to answer any of the interview questions and by chance even if you crossed that you would not be able to thrive at work.
I also agree that certification with theoretical knowledge is also of no use.
You may undergo a training gain theoretical knowledge and may pass the exam as well. This does certify that you have the knowledge but you don’t know how and where to apply, again you will not thrive here unless you are a fresh graduate and are starting your career. This options gives you the theoretical knowledge enables you to understand on job terminologies and relate to the actual work you are doing. This was my way when I stepped in to the ITSM platform; I only had IT Helpdesk experience and for me to be considered for anything in ITIL I was expected to have the Foundation certification as the least requirement. So this does help and is very conditional and specific to fresh graduates alone.
Certification is only useful when you have hands on experience coupled with theoretical knowledge.
Now for experienced folks, hands on experience is already gained and the theoretical know how’s helps them align their mindset to the holistic view of where and what fits in along with the best way to perform that set activities. Now I may be thriving with the
Hands on experience and theoretical knowledge however we will be missing out on the visibility to the management. Especially when a new project or an activity is initiated the management will not know all of your skill sets unless you are vocal about it. The best way I found it to be vocal is getting my hands on and theory attested by the third entity.
So now I always have an upper hand on the opportunities and also it is easier for me to perform the task, get noticed and keep aiming for higher.
This has been my secret so far, I did start without hands on on the initial days but did have theoretical knowledge and got it attested by the third entity; however as I grew I had to be visible and also prove my ability from time to time. So I don’t have an overseas exposure but I assume logically if you have to be noticed, you need to get attested but that’s only when you have hands on and theory both in place!
Happy Learning!